Center Point High School hired Dre’Mail King as its new head football coach, it was announced on Thursday.
King will replace George Bates, who left the school after seven years and was recently hired as the new head coach at Shades Valley. King led West Blocton to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Read MoreGov. Kay Ivey is currently headed to Florida to attend a dinner for Republican governors hosted by President-elect Donald Trump.
According to a report from The Hill, the meeting is expected to focus on how governors can help implement Trump’s agenda in the coming months.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds are also expected to be in attendance.
Ivey’s Communications Director Gina Maiola confirmed the governor is on her way now so that the upcoming winter storms don’t interfere with her travel plans.
Earlier today, Ivey issued a state of emergency for 37 counties in Alabama, citing the threat of ice, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and prolonged temperatures below freezing.
“I encourage Alabamians to make any needed preparations today, and if you are in an impacted area and do not have to be on the road, try to avoid it,” she said.
“Keep an eye on your local forecasts and stay weather aware.”
A winter storm warning will go into effect at midnight for all of north Alabama.
A winter weather advisory has been issued for central Alabama roughly south of the Interstate 20 corridor. It will go into effect at midnight.
Forecasters said that temperatures will be at or just below freezing in the warning and advisory areas and will cause difficult travel conditions for the Friday morning commute, especially across north and north-central Alabama.
Read MoreIn one of the most important cases of the social media age, free speech and national security collide at the Supreme Court on Friday in arguments over the fate of TikTok, a wildly popular digital platform that roughly half the people in the United States use for entertainment and information.
TikTok says it plans to shut down the social media site in the U.S. by Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court strikes down or otherwise delays the effective date of a law aimed at forcing TikTok’s sale by its Chinese parent company.
Working on a tight deadline, the justices also have before them a plea from President-elect Donald Trump, who has dropped his earlier support for a ban, to give him and his new administration time to reach a “political resolution” and avoid deciding the case. It’s unclear if the court will take the Republican president-elect’s views — a highly unusual attempt to influence a case — into account.
TikTok and China-based ByteDance, as well as content creators and users, argue the law is a dramatic violation of the Constitution’s free speech guarantee.
“Rarely if ever has the court confronted a free-speech case that matters to so many people,” lawyers for the users and content creators wrote. Content creators are anxiously awaiting a decision that could upend their livelihoods and are eyeing other platforms.
The case represents another example of the court being asked to rule about a medium with which the justices have acknowledged they have little familiarity or expertise, though they often weigh in on meaty issues involving restrictions on speech.
The Biden administration, defending the law that President Joe Biden signed in April after it was approved by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress, contends that “no one can seriously dispute that (China’s) control of TikTok through ByteDance represents a grave threat to national security.”
Officials say Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok’s U.S. patrons or use the platform to spread or suppress information.
But the government “concedes that it has no evidence China has ever attempted to do so,” TikTok told the justices, adding that limits on speech should not be sustained when they stem from fears that are predicated on future risks.
In December, a panel of three appellate judges, two appointed by Republicans and one by a Democrat, unanimously upheld the law and rejected the First Amendment speech claims.
Adding to the tension, the court is hearing arguments just nine days before the law is supposed to take effect and 10 days before a new administration takes office.
In language typically seen in a campaign ad rather than a legal brief, lawyers for Trump have called on the court to temporarily prevent the TikTok ban from going into effect but refrain from a definitive resolution.
“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government — concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” D. John Sauer, Trump’s choice to be his administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, wrote in a legal brief filed with the court.
Trump took no position on the underlying merits of the case, Sauer wrote. Trump’s campaign team used TikTok to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, and Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in December. He has 14.7 million followers on TikTok.
The justices have set aside two hours for arguments, and the session likely will extend well beyond that. Three highly experienced Supreme Court lawyers will be making arguments. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar will present the Biden administration’s defense of the law, while Trump’s solicitor general in his first administration, Noel Francisco, will argue on behalf of TikTok and ByteDance. Stanford Law professor Jeffrey Fisher, representing content creators and users, will be making his 50th high court argument.
If the law takes effect, Trump’s Justice Department will be charged with enforcing it. Lawyers for TikTok and ByteDance have argued that the new administration could seek to mitigate the law’s most severe consequences.
But they also said that a shutdown of just a month would cause TikTok to lose about one-third of its daily users in the U.S. and significant advertising revenue.
As it weighs the case, the court will have to decide what level of review it applies to the law. Under the most searching review, strict scrutiny, laws almost always fail. But two judges on the appellate court that upheld the law said it would be the rare exception that could withstand strict scrutiny.
TikTok, the app’s users and many briefs supporting them urge the court to apply strict scrutiny to strike down the law.
But the Democratic administration and some of its supporters cite restrictions on foreign ownership of radio stations and other sectors of the economy to justify the effort to counter Chinese influence in the TikTok ban.
A decision could come within days.
Read MoreHundreds of people said their goodbyes Thursday to an Irondale police lieutenant who was struck and killed while preparing to direct traffic outside Church of the Highlands.
Irondale police Lt. Mark Meadows, a 60-year-old husband, father and grandfather, was remembered as a “silent warrior,” a man of few words who made a big impact on those who knew and loved him.
“We know that because Mark was a believer, he’s in a better place today than we are standing right here,’’ Mayor James Stewart said. “We’re just so grateful that he died instantaneously. We don’t believe that he suffered, that he was in any pain.”
“God took him up to His mansion where there are many rooms,’’ Stewart said, “and we hope that he is in one of the biggest rooms today watching down to see us celebrating his life.”
Meadows was killed Monday morning when he was putting out traffic cones as the church’s 21 Days of Prayer service was about to let out.
It was just before 7 a.m. when Meadows was hit at the intersection of Grants Mill Road and Overton Road. He was pronounced dead at Grandview Medical Center at 7:39 a.m.
Alabama State Troopers said the Chevrolet Colorado that struck Meadows was driven by 32-year-old Evan N. Sullivan of Leeds. The driver stopped at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing.
Hundreds attended the Jan. 9, 2025, funeral of Irondale police Lt. Mark Meadows.(Carol Robinson)
Gov. Kay Ivey ordered the flags lowered Thursday in Meadows’ honor. The Jefferson/Shelby County Chapter of the Alabama Police Benevolent Association and the Police Benevolent Foundation are raising money for Meadows’ family.
Donations can be made here.
Meadows served four years in the U.S Army 3rd Ranger Battalion, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Benning in Georgia.
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, he began his law enforcement career with the Mountain Brook Police Department in 1992, before transferring to the Irondale Police Department.
He became an FBI instructor certified in pistol and rifle in 2001. He then became an NRA Instructor certified in pistol in 2017.
Meadows worked at Church of Highlands since the Grants Mill facility opened 18 years ago.
Mourners, which included police officers from law enforcement agencies throughout the state, poured into Church of the Highlands at noon Thursday. Meadows will have a private, military burial.
Officers from neighboring agencies filled in for Irondale police so many from the force could attend the service.
Hundreds attended the Jan. 9, 2025, funeral of Irondale police Lt. Mark Meadows.(Carol Robinson)
Stewart, who spoke before and at the service, said one of his favorite memories of Meadows happened just recently.
“I’d had a come-to-Jesus meeting with the police department, and he came to let me know that he was in support of the direction I wanted to move the city and the police department,’’ the mayor said.
“He had a slot for a 30-minute interview because he was a man of few words. I talked for 27 and he talked for three.”
Stewart described Meadows as a family man who was considerate, thoughtful, compassionate and humble.
“He put others’ interests before he put his own,’’ Stewart said. “He was always there to support and help someone along the way.”
“The Bible says, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’’’ he said, “and I feel that Lt. Meadows embodied that scripture because he looked out for everybody.”
“He meant a lot to us,’’ the mayor said. “He was a silent warrior. He didn’t say a lot, but you can see by the people that are here today that he was well thought of, well respected.”
Pastor Chris Hodges said the church considered Meadows a dear friend.
“He served this campus for nearly 18 years,’’ Hodges said, “and did it so faithfully.’’
Read MoreTarget just dropped a major deal on the latest Beats Solo wireless headphones, but it’s only available for a limited-time.
With this deal, Target customers can get their hands on a pair of Beats Solo 4 bluetooth headphones for just $129 each instead of the usual price of $199, a $70 discount overall.
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While other Beats wireless headphones can often also be found at a discount, the Beats Solo 4 come in two unique colors not found in any other style: Cloud Pink and State Blue.
The Beats brand claims that the Beats Solo 4 bluetooth headphones come with upgraded drivers, rebalanced acoustics, improved frequency response, custom-built 40 mm transducers to minimize electronic artifacts and latency and distortion for extraordinary clarity and range. Not to mention it comes with a whopping 50 hours of battery life.
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“The original go-to headphones for active music lovers are back and better than ever,” the Beats Solo 4 product description states. “The ergonomic design was developed with comfort in mind, starting with how light they are — at just 217 grams, you can almost forget you’re wearing them.”
Beats has also stated that wearing these headphones feels like “being surrounded by 64 speakers at once.”
Those who are interested in this deal can checkout the full details on Target’s website here.
Read MoreJimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, was celebrated Thursday during a funeral at Washington National Cathedral featuring plenty of pageantry.
Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang their arrangement of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which they also sang at Rosalynn Carter’s Atlanta funeral in 2023.
The lyrics, as highlighted by The Associated Press, certainly hit home:
”Imagine there’s no countries
“It isn’t hard to do
“Nothing to kill or die for
“And no religion, too
“Imagine all the people
“Livin’ life in peace.”
As Brooks and Yearwood perform, Biden was among those in the audience observed who appeared to quietly sing along to “Imagine.”
The couple has remained out of the public eye since an anonymous woman filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Brooks in October, accusing him of assault, battery and sexual battery.
The woman accusing Garth Brooks of sexual assault has called out the singer for publicly releasing her name, saying he did it “out of spite.”
“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim,” the accuser’s legal team of Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker said in a statement.
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.
Read MoreWith an assist from Democrats, Sen. Katie Britt’s, R-Ala., Laken Riley Act advanced Thursday in the U.S. Senate, although the legislation inspired by the Georgia nursing student murdered by an undocumented migrant faces an uncertain fate.
“Tomorrow, Laken Riley would have been 23 years old. Her killer should have never been able to be in the U.S., especially after being charged with multiple crimes,” Britt said at a news conference shortly after the bill secured enough votes to survive a filibuster.
“Her murder is actually he consequence of Biden-Harris open border policies.”
The act — the first piece of legislation taken up by the new Republican Senate majority and the first bill passed by the GOP-led House — would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest undocumented immigrants charged with theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting offenses and mandate those suspects be detained until they are deported so they cannot reoffend.
Riley’s killer, undocumented Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra, had been arrested multiple times once in the United States but was released each time before ICE could put a detainer on him.
On Feb. 22, 2024, Riley was jogging on the University of Georgia campus in Athens when she was killed by Ibarra.
Britt introduced the bill in the Senate last year but was stalled under Democratic control.
Alabama’s junior senator said President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in November, boosted in large part by the GOP’s position on immigration, made Democrats realize that their views on the issue are incompatible with majority of the American people.
“We’re listening to the American people, and it seems like some of my Democratic colleagues are also hearing the American people today,” Britt said. “They know their open border policies will not work.”
While several Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, voted to advance the bill, it remains unclear whether the legislation can pass in a final vote.
Britt said she and her Republican colleagues — all of whom cosponsored the bill — remain open to amendments to guide the bill to final passage but remains optimistic it doesn’t need tinkering.
“I think my Democratic colleagues have heard the American people, and so I think that they understand that we need action now. And so it would be my thoughts that we could likely pass this right now,” she said.
“If the people keep their word and people are true to their constituencies, and they actually put the needs of them first,” the senator continued, “it would be my hope that we could pass it right now.”
Read MoreLawyers involved in the conflict that has delayed medical marijuana in Alabama are trying to reach an agreement through court-ordered mediation.
Mark Wilkerson, an attorney for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, said there have been at least three mediation sessions involving all the parties in the lawsuits. Wilkerson gave members of the AMCC an update on the litigation during a Zoom meeting Thursday.
The disputes are mostly over the AMCC’s efforts to issue business licenses to integrated companies that will cultivate, process, and dispense medical cannabis products.
Some companies denied licenses claim the AMCC has not followed the law in awarding licenses. The AMCC disputes that, but the court found enough merit to the claims to put the process on hold.
Retired Montgomery County Circuit Judge Eugene Reese is overseeing the mediation. Wilkerson said the talks are confidential.
“I will say that I think progress has been made generally,” Wilkerson said. “And Judge Reese has done a good job at pushing that process, communicating with everybody.
“And we’ve certainly made it clear that our goal under the participation is to achieve the objectives that the Legislature has given you to have an outcome that results in products being available to Alabama patients, people that need it.”
The Legislature approved medical marijuana in 2021 and created the AMCC to oversee the industry. The AMCC awarded business licenses three times in 2023 but rescinded the first two rounds of awards because of mistakes and lawsuits filed by companies that were denied licenses.
The AMCC successfully issued licenses for cultivators and in some other categories in December 2023. But licenses for the integrated companies and for dispensaries are on hold. That has prevented the industry from fully launching.
The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals will hold oral arguments Monday in a key part of the case.
The AMCC is appealing a temporary restraining order issued last July by Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson, who is presiding over the lawsuits. The order prohibits the AMCC from issuing the licenses to integrated companies.
The Compassion Act, passed by Alabama lawmakers in May 2021, made Alabama one of more than 30 states to authorize medical marijuana.
Patients who receive a recommendation from a certified doctor and receive a medical cannabis card from the AMCC will be able to buy medical marijuana products at licensed dispensaries.
The products can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including chronic pain, weight loss and nausea from cancer, depression, panic disorder, epilepsy, muscle spasms caused by disease or spinal cord injuries, PTSD, and others.
Products can include gummies, tablets, capsules, tinctures, patches, oils, and other forms allowed by the legislation.
Read MoreWith the opening of a new community center Thursday, Madison completes a yearslong effort to revitalize a troubled parcel of land on the north side.
The 30,000 square-foot center at 1329 Browns Ferry Road houses multiple meeting rooms, arts and craft spaces, a multiuse gym, courtyard and performance stage. The city’s recently opened senior center occupies a wing of the building.
“A community center is the hub for your city,” Mayor Paul Finley said. “What was a facility that was an eyesore has turned into the hub and a central part of community for Madison.”
Read MoreAccording to the Mobile Police Department, no criminal activity was found involving a train incident that killed three men Tuesday night.
The three individuals were also believed to have been unhoused the department said.
According to a department spokesperson, a train operator blew the horn but the men were not able to clear the tracks in time.
“Evidence revealed the train’s horn was sounded prior to impact shortly after 5 p.m., but the three victims were unable to clear the track,” the spokesperson said.
It took the train operators several hours before they knew that the men had been struck.
Mobile police were contacted immediately after the discovery and officers arrived at approximately 11:40 p.m. the department said.
The train involved was being operated by the Port of Mobile. Maggie Oliver, a spokesperson for the port, provided a statement regarding the “tragic” incident.
“This is a tragic event, and the Port is grateful for MPD’s leadership on the investigation …. The Port will continue working with MPD along with other relevant agencies to provide information that will bring the families closure and assist in our understanding of this accident.”
The department said the identities of the victims will be released once their families have been notified.
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